Detour
by krashkart
Summary: Trance takes another try at navigating the slipstream and once again the Andromeda ends up somewhere unexpected. An Andromeda Stargate SG1 crossover. The first of the 'Detour' series. Revised 07 Jan 08 Written by krashkart aka squid109 and Tarantulas
1. Oops!

**Detour**

**OOPS**

It was the first dog watch on the _Andromeda Ascendant_. Trance was at the pilot station, her tail twitching with anticipation. Captain Hunt, on the other hand was nervous. Against his better judgment he had agreed to let his medical officer have another attempt at piloting the _Andromeda_ through the Slipstream; taking them to to Arzawa II, where the crew was scheduled to take some well deserved liberty.

"Rommie," he said to the dark haired woman standing beside him, "pass the word. All hands brace for shock. Prepare to enter Slipstream."

Trance flashed her captain a dirty look at his comment about 'bracing for shock' before turning her attention to the task at hand. Within the bowels of the starship, massive generators released their energies creating a rent in the fabric of space. The portal to the Slipstream was opened, and Trance took them in. As Dylan had expected, it was a bumpy ride. After what seemed like an eternity, but couldn't have been more than 30 seconds, they exited from the Slipstream. In the main view screen was a blue planet accompanied by a single large moon.

Harper was studying the image in the viewscreen. "I may be wrong, but if I remember right doesn't Arzawa II have three moons?" There was a pause as he studied the world in question more closely. "No way, it can't be. Boss.."

Whatever he was planning to say was cut off, for at this moment Andromeda's core self appeared on the view screen. "Captain, we are being illuminated by some sort of pulsed electromagnetic radiation, probably targeting systems from the spacecraft orbiting the planet below us"

"Pass the word, Rommie," ordered Dylan. "Battle stations. Andromeda, show me what you have."

As the klaxons began to blare, the viewscreen image changed to reveal a medium sized spacecraft flanked by four much smaller ones.

"At least they haven't started firing yet. It seems the inhabitants of this world are somewhat nervous about unannounced visitors. Andromeda, are they making any attempts at communication?"

"Yes Captain they are," replied Rommie. "It's rather strange The language appears to be an old, ancient really, dialect of one of the languages that Common is based on. I believe it was called English when it was used. They claim to be members of something called Stargate Command from the planet Earth.

"Ancient language? Earth!?" exclaimed Beka. "Trance, you did it to us again."

The entire bridge crew started talking at once, Trance, denying that she had done anything, and the rest demanding explanations.

After a moment Dylan yelled "Quiet!!" When the crew quieted down, Dylan continued. "Andromeda, will you translate for me? Tell the captain of the larger spacecraft that I am Captain Dylan Hunt of the New Systems Commonwealth, commanding the New Systems Commonwealth Cruiser Andromeda Ascendant and that our intentions are peaceful."

Andromeda did as directed, but either something was lost in translation or her accent was so bad as to make her virtually incomprehensible, for a look of puzzlement crossed the face of the person shown on the main view screen. Fortunately someone on the other end must have been able to decipher the intent of Andromeda's message for a look of relief crossed his face. Communication had been established.

While communication had been established, it was neither quick nor easy. As Rommie explained to Dylan, "Our data files on ancient English appear to be somewhat erroneous, and they are completely useless when it comes to pronunciation. The language that Harper knows as English has very little in common with the ancient dialect of it. It will take me at least a day to devise a translation program."

By the next day's forenoon watch the program had been devised. Rommie and her sister/selves were now able to understand and speak English, while the others, thanks to their reprogrammed, translation nanobots could now understand it. Dylan, using either Rommie, or one of her sister selves, as his translator, was soon engaged in negotiations with the other vessel's commanding officer, and his superior on Earth. Unfortunately while the translation nanobots allowed understanding of a language, they did not give the user the ability to speak the language, and the Earthlings, as their counterparts on the other ship referred to themselves as, unsurprisingly enough, did not understand Common. Andromeda could provide translation services as long as her crew remained aboard her, but she would be unable to assist if and when any of her crew visited the other vessel.

It was Harper who came to the rescue. During the second hour of the evening watch he brought out five devices comprised of a box about the size of a man's fist with a grill in the front, a belt clip in the back and a wire extending from the right side of the box to an earplug. There was a single switch on the left side of the device.

"Here you go, Boss", he said to Dylan clipping the box to his belt and placing the earphone in his ear. "Voice activated. You talk, it records what you say, and when you stop talking it translates what you say into English. The switch on the side deactivates the speaker in case we want to talk in private."

"Very nice, Harper," said Tyr "but why the earphone."

" I figure there's no sense letting them know we can understand what they're saying without the devices."

A slow smile formed on Tyr's face. He started to reach out for one of the devices but Harper stopped him.

"Don't pull on the earphone wire."

"And why is that?"

"Because if you pull the wire out, you have 30 seconds to get to cover before the translator detonates."

Tyr's smile became positively carnivorous.

"Everyone take one," ordered Dylan. "Andromeda says that we've all been invited to visit. We're going to someplace they call Cheyenne Mountain."


	2. Unexpected Visitors

**Unexpected Visitors  
**

Major General George Hammond, commanding officer of Stargate Command, and as such the man in charge of all of Earth's defense against interplanetary attack, was not a happy general. Between continual minor and not so minor skirmishes with the parasitical Goa'uld, the mechanical Replicators, and the constant negotiating with the Tok'ra, Jaffa, Asgard, and several other alien races, he had enough on his plate without the addition of a wild card in the form of a spacecraft from an unknown race. At present he was sitting in the the command's main conference room with his primary advisors, Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill and and the Jaffra warrior Teal'c, trying to make some sense out of their new, and unwanted visitors.

"Dr. Jackson, what have you heard from our friends off planet concerning this new player in the game?" he asked.

"Not a thing, General," replied Dr Jackson. "None of our allies or contacts have ever heard of these people." Of medium height and build with an unruly mop of hair that defied all attempts at barbering, and wearing a pair of glasses that were always threatening to slip off his nose, Dr. Daniel Jackson was Stargate Commands xenoarcheologist. While by nature inclined to talk rather than fight, he was fast and deadly accurate with a hand gun should the need arise.

"About the only thing we know for sure, is that they have the same problems with English that most visitors have. Their initial communiqué was from their ship's captain stating that he 'was ordering the recent systems easily found wealth large fast warship Andromeda on top.' Fortunately they appear to have an excellent computer translation system, and things are going much smoother. For the record what the captain said was that he was 'in command of the New Systems Commonwealth cruiser Andromeda Ascendant.' Unfortunately, neither we, nor any of our contacts, have any idea what the New Systems Commonwealth is."

The general couldn't help but smile at Dr Jackson's description of the communications difficulties. "I see", he said. "Major Carter do you have any information for us?"

Major Samantha Carter was blonde, and blue eyed, with a figure that could have earned her a position as the centerfold in _Playboy_ magazine. She also had a doctorate in astrophysics, and was one of Earth's leading experts on off world technology. Like Dr Jackson, she preferred to talk first and shoot second, but when she needed to shoot, she rarely needed to shoot twice at the same target.

"Actually, Sir, I do. According to the Prometheus the ship is huge, over 1300 meters in length and nearly 1000 meters across the beam. It has a volume of nearly 390 million cubic meters and weighs approximately 98 million kilograms. Which is amazingly light for something that size"

A long loud whistle from Colonel O'Neill interrupted her briefing.

Continuing on she added, "Neutrino emission analysis reveals a decay pattern characteristic of proton anti proton interactions, so we're speculating that the ship is powered by a matter-antimatter reaction system. Their translight propulsion system seems to be quite inefficient. The amount of energy released when they entered normal space was spectacular. We could easily have detected their arrival if they had emerged in the vicinity of Pluto. Unfortunately, that's about the sum of what we have determined so far."

"Thank you, Major Carter. Colonel O'Neill, do you have anything to add?"

With light brown hair graying at the sides, a square jaw, and a ramrod straight posture, Colonel Jack O'Neill, looked exactly like what he was, a member of a special operations team. "Well, they're talking rather than shooting. That's always a good sign."

"Indeed it is," said Teal'c. Physically Teal'c looked like a large man of African descent, however he had not been born on Earth. He was a Jaffa, a member of a race that had been largely but not entirely subjugated by the Goa'uld.

At this point the phone rang. General Hammond picked it up, listened for a minute then put it down. "Well in just a few minutes, we're going to get a chance to know them much better. That was the Officer of the Day. The helicopter transporting our visitors from Area 51 has landed on the helipad. They should be arriving at the main gate within ten minutes."

The general and his entourage arrived at the security checkpoint just as their visitors arrived. Apparently it was raining outside, and equally apparent a quick thinking member of the watch had procured rain gear for the visitors. Hammond made a mental note to himself to find out the name of that individual, and to remember him or her when it came time to write annual fitness reports.

There were six visitors in all. As they removed their rain gear, and handed it to one of the security guards, Hammond had to control an effort not to stare. Either the Commonwealth had odd standards when it came to uniforms, or the commanding officer of the visiting spacecraftdid not run a very tight ship.

Their obvious leader was a large man, apparently in his mid forties, tall, well muscled, with short cut brown hair and wearing black pants and a black jacket. The jacket was partly undone, and Hammond could see a red shirt underneath it. On his right leg he was wearing some sort of holster, in the holster was a cylindrical device. From its location, and the fact that the wearer was keeping his hand near it, Hammond deduced that it was some sort of weapon.

Two women flanked the man. The one on his left was handsome rather than pretty, with short cut blonde hair. She was wearing a black jumpsuit and a choker collar necklace. A low slung holster carrying a large pistol was strapped around her waist. She looked like a movie maker's idea of a female space pirate; all she needed was an eye patch to complete the look.

The other woman was different matter entirely. While the one on the left might have come from a B rated science fiction movie, this woman could have stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Young, probably in her late 20's, she was tall, slim, and vaguely oriental looking. Her hair was a deep dark brown highlighted with streaks of red and immaculately coiffured. She was wearing a jumpsuit that exactly matched the color of the red highlights in her hair; it was form fitting and displayed what the general thought was an unprofessional amount of cleavage. In contrast to the pirate woman whose face was bare of makeup, this woman's face was heavily and expertly made up. She was also wearing two of the holstered cylinders, one on each leg. Apparently she served as something more than decoration.

Behind her was another man. He was perhaps half the age of the first, wearing red pants and a black T-shirt. He had blonde hair that rather badly needed cutting and combing. Like the lady pirate he was wearing pistol in a low-slung holster. He was showing an almost puppyish excitement as he surveyed the area. Mentally Hammond tagged him as "the kid"

Behind hem were two more people, a man and a woman, girl actually, and these were the ones that caught the general's interest. The man was dark complected, and like the first one well muscled. However, while the first man's hair was cut short, this one's hair was long and flowing, reaching to the middle of his back. In addition, unlike the other two men who were clean-shaven, he had a beard and a mustache. He was wearing black trousers and what Hammond usually thought of as a "muscle shirt". Like the pirate and the kid he was wearing a holstered pistol, however in addition to the pistol, he was carrying a rifle of some type. The striking thing about him was the leather vambraces he wore on his forearms, and the spikes that protruded from them. All in all, he reminded the general of a large predatory beast.

It was the girl that really occupied Hammond's attention. If she had left her teen years behind her, it couldn't have been more than a few weeks ago. While the others were dressed more or less sensibly, she was dressed in a way that reminded the general of the female singing stars he had seen his younger airmen watch on MTV. She was wearing a halter-top that left one shoulder bare and exposed a plentiful section of midriff, while her shorts barely made it down to mid thigh. A pair of silver colored boots that came up to mid calf completed her ensemble. Unlike the others, she didn't seem to be carrying any weaponry. However, it wasn't the girl's youth or costume that caught his attention, it was the rest of her appearance. She was purple, and had a tail. The tail was twitching, and Hammond found himself wondering how many times a day it got stepped on.

With the exception of the fashion model, all of the visitors had some sort of small box attached to their belts. Each box had a wire running from the box into the wearer's right ear. The general assumed it must be some sort of translation device. Shifting his thoughts away from twitching tails, he stepped forwards towards the man he assumed to be the leader. Holding out his hand he said. "Welcome to Stargate Command. I'm General Hammond commanding officer."

Either handshaking was a custom in the Commonwealth, or the man was a quick study, for he reached out and took the generals hand. "Thank you, General. I am Captain Dylan Hunt, commanding officer of the Andromeda Ascendant."

Indicating the blonde woman he went on. "This is Beka Valentine, the Andromeda Ascendant's first officer, and senior pilot."

As Hammond had suspected the boxes were translators. It was rather odd hearing his guest speak in one language, then hear his voice again coming out of the box in English, but compared to some of the other things he had seen while in command of Stargate Command, nothing to get overly excited about.

Gesturing at the fashion model the visitor continued, "Our ship's avatar, Andromeda."

She gave him a brief smile. "Good afternoon, General," she said.

"_Interesting,_" thought Hammond. "_No translator, was she the ship's linguist?_"

"Ships avatar?" murmured O'Neill to Dr. Jackson. "What the heck's a ship's avatar?"

"An avatar is the earthly manifestation of a god," replied Dr. Jackson.

"I know that, but what's a ship's avatar?"

The group's leader was continuing the introductions. "Harper, our chief engineer." This was the kid, who had stopped fidgeting and was now concentrating his attention on Major Carter.

"Our weapons officer, Tyr Anasazi.." Somehow Hammond wasn't surprised to find that the predator was the weapons officer.

"Trance Gemini, our ship's medical officer, and xenobiologist." The General had to conceal his astonishment at the last introduction. That child was their medical officer? Either she was a prodigy or the ship's medical staff was woefully short of personnel.

Now it was General Hammond's turn to make the introductions. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Captain Hunt." Indicating each of the others in turn he made his introductions. "This is Major Samantha Carter, research and development; Doctor Daniel Jackson, xenoarcheology; Teal'c, our liaison with the Jaffa republic; and Colonel Jack O'Neill, tactical operations." While none of the descriptions were exactly true, they were close enough, and it wouldn't hurt to have the visitors think that Dr Jackson and Carter were simply scientists, and not combat tested veterans.

"If you will please step through the security scanner, we can adjourn to a conference room where we can talk more comfortably. Please hand your equipment to the technician before you step through; it will be returned to you on the other side."

All went well until Rommie stepped through. The security scanner was a sophisticated device incorporating a metal detector, a radioactive substance detector and explosive compounds detector. Unfortunately since she was an android, Rommie contained large amounts of the first and significant amounts of the second. The scanning system went berserk. The technician looked helplessly as Hammond who looked back at him equally confused.

Something clicked in O'Neill's mind; ships avatar, metal, radioactives, that was no woman that was a robot. "Crikes" he said. "Put that thing outside, the rain won't hurt it. It's nothing but a friggin machine."


	3. Confusion and Romance

**Confusion and Romance  
**

The words were like blows, striking not her body but her spirit. Rommie had experienced prejudice before, but nothing so completely unexpected and unwarranted as this. Her vision began to grow misty, and she blinked back the tears. She made an effort to stand a little taller, unwilling to let that man know how much his words had hurt her.

It was Beka who first came to her defense. "Rommie's no machine, she's an artificial intelligence, self programming, and fully sentient. More importantly, she has the same feelings and emotions as any other person, and is as much a crew member as anyone else on board the Andromeda."

Dylan's defense was a little less emotional but just as strong. "Andromeda has the status of a warrant officer in the New Systems Commonwealth military, and has taken an oath of allegiance to the Commonwealth. You will treat her with the same respect and courtesy that you would give to any other member of my crew, or this visit is terminated."

General Hammond proceeded to show that there is truth to the old statement that while sheer military skill may get you the first star, you need diplomatic skill to get the others. He stepped in front of Colonel O'Neill, and began a smooth apology. "You have my apologies for the Colonel's comments. I'm afraid that the Colonel's previous experiences with artificial intelligences have all been uniformly bad, and have colored his emotions." Turning to O'Neill he continued. "Colonel, your thoughts about machine intelligences are well known. I may not be able to control what you think, but I can control how you act and speak. You will treat….. What should I call you Ms? Andromeda? Avatar?" The last was directed to Rommie.

"Andromeda will do, General Hammond."

Thank you, Andromeda. As I was saying, Colonel O'Neill, you will treat Andromeda the same way I expect you to treat a member of Stargate Command. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Sir", replied O'Neill.

"Good, now that that is out of the way, shall we proceed to the conference room?"

The two groups started off, the Earthmen taking the lead. Several members of both parties were deep in thought. O'Neill was mentally fuming about the dressing down he had received, Hammond was thinking that whatever faults the crew of the _Andromeda_ had concerning uniforms, the ship's senior officers looked after their subordinates and Rommie was imagining various creative and painful deaths for Colonel O'Neill.

Tyr was observing his surroundings carefully, and had come to two conclusions. One, the underground complex they were in was obviously a fortress. There were multiple blast doors, some with firing slits in them, surveillance equipment and plates in the walls, which he suspected covered emplaced weaponry. And two, Harper was paying an inordinate amount of attention to the one called Carter.

While they were walking Major Carter said, in a low voice, to Dr. Jackson. "Daniel, did you see the avatar's eyes after Jack called her a machine? I could swear she was fighting back tears."

"Sophisticated programming?" asked Dr. Jackson?

Teal'c had overheard the conversation. His comment silenced the Major and made her start thinking about the implications of Rommie's tears. "I do not think that what you saw was programming, Daniel Jackson."

After they arrived in the conference room and were seated, an orderly arrived with coffee. Much to Carter's surprise Rommie accepted a cup. Seeing the Major's expression, Rommie explained. "I don't really need to eat, though I do have the capacity to ingest small quantities of food and drink, but I find that sharing a meal or a drink helps in social situations, and I do enjoy the aroma of coffee.."

Conversation commenced, and soon degenerated into total confusion. Both groups claimed to operate in the same region of space, or at least have allies who did, but neither one had heard of the races or planets that the other group described. While a galaxy is a big place, and planet names would be different, the lack of contact between the different races seemed impossible considering that they were all galaxy spanning. The Andromeda crew had never heard of the Asgard, Jaffa, the Goa'uld or any of the other races that Dr. Jackson and Major Carter described, while the members of Stargate Command were equally ignorant of the Than-Thre-Kull, the Magog, the Perseids or the other races describe by Dylan.

Harper opened the can of worms even further by bringing in the time travel aspect. "Boss, didn't Rommie say that these folks were speaking an ancient version of Common?" Maybe we're so far back in the past that all the other races have died out and new ones have shown up."

Confusion degenerated into chaos. During the conversations, Rommie had been sitting quietly, apparently enjoying her coffee but actually communicating with her alter egos on the ship. Finally she spoke up. "General Hammond, what year is it by your calendar?"

"Two thousand and four," replied General Hammond. "Why?"

"Captain," said Rommie, According to my calculations, based on star positions, we have been transported approximately 3,000 years into our past, hardly enough time for entire species to fade into oblivion without a trace and others to evolve. Also, the Vedrans have had slipstream travel for over 10,000 years now. Well 10,000 years from our time 7,000 years from when we are now. More importantly though, according to Commonwealth records, the planet Earth developed translight travel in the year 2165 ,when they joined the First Commonwealth Yet analysis of the drive systems of the ships we encountered on our arrival indicates that they possess a form of translight propulsion. Captain, I am afraid that we are not only no longer in our own time; we are no longer in our own timeline."

Carter and Harper both began to talk at once, the conversation covering such things as, strings, intersecting three dimensional spaces embedded in N-dimensional membranes, quantum time and Schrodinger's cat. With the exception of Rommie, the rest of the group were lost within the first minute, and even Rommie's eyes glazed over within three. The white board in the room quickly became covered with esoteric formulae and symbols. After a bit Carter stopped and took a breath.

"Harper, I just don't see how it can be done. The odds of recreating the conditions that sent you here are so remote as to be impossible."

Dylan looked at Harper. "Harper?" there was a question in his tone of voice.

"Boss, it's me you're talking to, Harper. If the job was difficult I'd have us back home already. Since it's impossible, give me ten days, twelve at the most to get us back."

General Hammond decided that this was a good time to adjourn the meeting. "Captain Hunt, if you and your crew members will accompany me, I'll see to it that you are assigned quarters here in the complex. That is, assuming you want to stay here and not return to your ship. Major Carter, if you will take Mr. Harper to the labs after he gets settled in, perhaps the two of you can come up with something that will do the impossible."

"I expect that our duties will require us to put a fair bit of our time on the Andromeda, General", replied Dylan. "But quarters would be appreciated, since I expect that we will be spending a few nights here."

Dr Jackson followed them as the orderly showed them their quarters. For some reason he wanted to insure that the purple girl was comfortably settled in. After she had inspected her room and pronounced it acceptable, he took the plunge.

"Ms Gemini, the mess hall is still open. I have about a million questions I'd like to ask you. Perhaps we could talk over dinner?" _Damn it, did he sound as nervous as he felt?_

Rommie overheard Dr Jackson's proposal. She didn't know if she should be sad or happy. She had immediately noticed the similarity in appearance between Dr Jackson and her deceased lover Gabriel, but she had also noticed that Dr Jackson hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of Trance, and that the purple girl had been returning his looks. Dr Jackson was not the person she had once loved; he was someone else; someone who had eyes for a woman other than her.

Trance followed Doctor Jackson to the mess hall. She wondered how this was going to play out. The doctor wasn't bad looking, and there was a certain charm to his obvious nervousness, yet she instinctively knew that there was tempered steel in the man, there was something else as well, and it was that something else that interested her.

They walked through the mess line, Trance taking small samples of all the fruits and vegetables, while Dr Jackson selected a more traditional meal of roast beef and mashed potatoes. Trance's appearance attracted a few stares from some of the other diners, but they were mostly appreciative ones. This wasn't the first time an off-worlder had taken a meal at the mess hall; Trance just happened to be an unusually attractive one. As she expected, Dr Jackson began to ask her the standard questions, and she gave him the standard answers. Her species was purple, she came from far off, and no, Trance wasn't her real name, but he wouldn't be able to come close to pronouncing her real one, so why not just call her Trance. Oddly enough he didn't seem to be annoyed by her answers. instead he surprised her by asking her if she had any questions.

"Tell me about yourself", she said.

Dr Jackson started talking about the Stargate, the Goa'uld and the conflict between them and the other species when she interrupted.

"No, Daniel," she said using his given name, "that's not what I want to hear. Tell me about yourself."

He began talking again, but this time the subject was different. He talked about his childhood, his days at the university, and how the academic community had scorned his work, the same work that got him a place on the first Stargate expedition. He told her of his teammates, of friends made and friends lost, and of his wife and how he lost her to the Goa'uld. Trance never interrupted him, except to encourage him to continue speaking, nor did her eyes ever leave his.

Then it was his turn. "What's it like out there where you live?" he asked.

She hesitated before speaking. What should she tell him? After a moment she began. She didn't tell him about the Long Night, of the horrors of Magog raids or the Nietzschean slave camps, nor of battles and the deaths she had seen, he had seen enough of those types of things himself. Rather she told him about the little things. About basketball games on the hydroponics deck, how the Lancers held the annual Lancer Ball on the flight deck, and how she had danced the night away. She talked of walking along the beaches of Arzawa II when the lantern fish were spawning, and how their bioluminescence turned the ocean into a fairyland of light. She spoke of the botanical gardens of Halycon and the smell of the flowers, of surfing on Infinity Atoll, and of the Shouting Cliffs of Krishnamurti. She even told of shopping with Rommie and Beka in the Mendocino Drift. She told him of standing on the observation deck looking out into space, and seeing the countless stars glittering like diamonds on black velvet.

When she was finished Dr Jackson glanced at his watch. "Ms Gemini, the base theater will be showing a movie in about thirty minutes. Would you like to watch it with me?"

"What's a movie?" asked Trance.

"A form of drama where the actions of the actors are recorded and then replayed to a viewing audience. It's really more entertaining than it sounds. This particular movie is considered a classic of its type. It's called 'High Noon'."

"That sounds like it could be fun," said Trance. "Lets do it.. And, my name is Trance, not Ms Gemini."


	4. Girl Talk

**Girl Talk  
**

Major Carter was in the Stargate control center, enjoying a few minutes of privacy. It was one of the few areas of the command that was off limits to Harper, and she was using it as a sanctuary. Their visitors had been at the command for over two weeks now now, and things were finally starting to settle down. Actually, only some of the visitors were here. Captain Hunt had sent his first officer to take the ship out to the outer planets to stock up on hydrogen, which the ship processed for fuel. They were expected to return tomorrow. Before she left, Beka had mentioned her love of horror stories, so Carter had gone on a shopping spree and bought a number of audio books for her enjoyment. She wished she could tell Stephen King that his books would still be popular 3,000 years from now.

Trance and Dr Jackson had left with them. Trance had discovered strawberries, and was determined to grow them on the ship. Dr Jackson had gone with her, ostensibly to help her with the planting. Carter wasn't sure if she approved of his interest in the girl, it seemed perilously close to cradle robbing, but apparently her superior officers had no objections to the pairing, so she decided to take a wait and see approach.

Dylan and the avatar were still here as well. The captain of the starship was negotiating with General Hammond for fresh supplies for the_Andromeda_, and shore leave for his crew. The supplies were easy, but the shore leave was proving problematical, as not all f the crew could pass as human. Nor could the town near Cheyenne mountain handle such a large influx of visitors, even if they could pass a human. The solution seemed to involve an isolated tropical island normally used by high ranking members of the government, ample supplies of beer, and free transportation to and from the island for any member of Stargate Command who was eligible to take leave and wanted to socialize with the visitors. The android was almost always by his side, and the Major was beginning to wonder if their relationship was more than professional.

That left the weapons officer and Harper. Tyr and Teal'c had been making alpha male noises at each other, but so far nothing had come of it. Harper, on the other hand, was driving her to distraction. He was brilliant, there was no doubt about that, and had already given her several ideas to improve the programming of the Gate. It was his interest in her that was the problem. Well, not exactly his interest, she had no problem with men being interested in her, it was his approach. He acted like a 13-year-old suffering from his first crush, and worse he couldn't keep his hands off her. In desperation she had contacted a friend, Lt. Jennifer Hailey. Lt Hailey was actually a member of Stargate Command, but at the moment was on temporary additional duty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was studying for her doctorate in quantum physics. She was exceptionally intelligent; easily capable of keeping up with Harper, but at the moment, from Carter's point of view, the important thing about Jennifer was that she was a blonde goddess.

She had arrived yesterday, and Harper had, as expected, immediately turned some of his attentions to Hailey. Carter expected that when Harper left, Jenifer was going to tell her that Carter owed her a huge favor.

A knock on the door to the control room interrupted her musing. Turning, she was surprised to see the avatar, Andromeda, in the doorway.

"May I come in, Major?" she asked.

"Of course. What brings you up here?

"The Captain was having a discussion with Colonel O'Neill in the Colonel's office. The Colonel informed me that the discussion was private, and that I was to wait outside."

Carter winced. Apparently Jack had decided to follow the letter of General Hammond's order, but not the spirit.

"I see," said Carter, the disapproval of Colonel O'Neill's actions evident in her voice. "Other than Jack, I mean Colonel O'Neill, how has the rest of the command been treating you?"

"You mean besides calling me 'That sexy robot babe' or saying 'She brings a whole new meaning to the term living doll'? I've been called much worse, and it does show that they are starting to accept me as a person." A slight smile, "Now, if only I can get them to appreciate me for my brains and not just my body. Overall, they are treating me about the same as a new crew member gets treated aboard me. Other than the Colonel, no one has been openly hostile."

Deciding to take advantage of the moment of confidence between them, Carter asked a question that had been nagging her. "What's it feel like to know that you were manufactured?"

"What's it like to know that you were born?"

"I'm not sure I follow you, Andromeda."

"Did you decide that you wanted to be born? Your parents decided that they wanted a child and they created you. My designer decided that he wanted an avatar so he created me. Neither one of us had a voice in the matter. We were both assembled; it is just the method of assembly that differs." Unexpectedly, she gave a giggle and blushed slightly. "However, I suspect your creators had a more enjoyable time with the initial laying of the blueprints than mine did."

_She blushed_ thought Carter._ How does an android blush?_ "How did you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"You blushed, how do you blush?"

"I didn't DO anything. I just do when I get embarrassed." Not the clearest statement she had ever made but Carter understood.

"_Tears"_, thought Carter, "_blushing, this isn't sophisticated programming and technology, this is black magic_."

"Do you mean the physical mechanism behind my blushes? Actually, it isn't any different from yours. My skin is an organic substance that needs to be nourished, much like your skin does. It was originally designed to be a substitute skin for burn victims. Anyway, the nourishment is provided by an nutrient compound, which is red in color, and distributed through capillary tubes. When I'm embarrassed, the capillaries expand, bringing more of the nutrient fluid close to the surface of my skin and I blush. I actually don't have any more control over my blushing than you do."

"What happens if you're injured?" _Injured, not damaged?_ thought Carter, _is she becoming a person to me?_

"Well, if the integrity of my skin is broken, the nutrient fluid will leak out of course. It contains compounds that when exposed to air will cause it to congeal and stop the leakage. Given time, my skin covering will eventually heal itself."

"In other words, if I cut you, you bleed."

"Well, yes."

Something else occurred to Carter. If Andromeda's designer had gone to this much trouble to make her lifelike, what about parts of her anatomy that were hidden by clothes?

"Andromeda?"

"Rommie; my friends call me Rommie."

"Ok, Rommie. I'm Sam, that's short for Samantha. This may be kind of personal, but just how complete are you?"

Rommie knew where this was going; she had been asked that particular question more than once. "My anatomy is complete and fully functional"

_Now that raises some interesting possibilities_, thought Sam, _and raises some even more interesting questions about her designer as well._ "Is that a normal design procedure? I mean are all of your kind equipped that way?"

Rommie didn't really want to encourage this line of questioning. While in theory artificial intelligences had the same rights as organic beings, in practice they did not. Pairings between organics and avatars were not illegal, but were strongly discouraged, mostly, but not exclusively, by organics, so mixed couples tended to conceal their relationships. Still she knew of a few whom she suspected didn't have a strictly platonic relationship.

A shrug. "It depends, some are, some aren't, and it's possible to, err, add the functionality at a later time, if we find we have a desire to. It's really not something I want to discuss though." A far away look appeared in her eyes as a memory of Gabriel surfaced.

Carter didn't miss the look. "What was he like?" she asked.

"Who?"

"The man you were just thinking about."

"His name was Gabriel. He was a ship's avatar too."

"Was? What happened to him?"

"He was killed."

Two dams broke; the two women had too much in common not to be able to relate to each other's feelings. The talk ranged from love, to prejudice, to men and finally to two particular men.

Their talk was interrupted by another knock on the control room's door. It was Harper. "I've got something for you, Major," he said. Jennifer was with him and looking haggard.

Rommie took this as her cue to leave. "I had better get back to the Captain."

As Rommie left something sadly amusing came to Carter. Even with another 3,000 years to evolve, men still didn't know a good thing when they saw it. Even if the good thing was standing by his side.

Rommie passed between the lieutenant and her shipmate, giving Harper a slight nod as she passed, and earning a disapproving look from Hailey. The avatar had changed into a different outfit from the one she had worn when Carter first met her, and while it showed considerably less cleavage it did nothing to hide her figure.

"Harper," said Carter tiredly. "What are you doing here? You know the Gate control room is off limits to you."

"Well, technically I'm not in the control room. You're on one side of the doorway, and I'm on the other. But, I got to show you this. I think I've solved the instability problem for the Naquadria generators you use on your starships."

_Now that would be good news,_ thought Carter. _Wait a minute here. What's he doing doing research on Naquadria generators? He's supposed to be working on getting his ship back home and how did he get the information about Naquadria?_

"Harper, aren't you supposed to be working on a way to get your ship back to where it belongs?"

"I finished the prototype this morning, Major. Now, about your generators."

"Focus, Harper. The prototype."

"Oh sure, it's down in the high energy lab." His hand had drifted to Hailey's waist; she slapped it away. "Come on down, I'll show you."

The prototype was an eye straining collection of impossible angles and shapes. Just looking at it gave Carter a headache.

"How does it work?" she asked.

"It's very simple really. When activated within string space, the device will transpose one of the space dimensions with the time dimension. The hard part was controlling the direction of the time arrow. We wouldn't want to go backwards in time instead of forwards."

"Have you tested it yet?

"Not yet, it still has a few bugs I'll need a few more days to work them out."

"What sort of bugs?"

"So far I have an 85 chance of controlling the spatial dimension that transfers position with the time dimension."

"What happens if it doesn't transfer properly?" asked Carter.

'If it fails there will be a complete randomization of entopic time within the strings, which, since the strings connect all the multiverses, this condition will propagate throughout all the multiverses."

"Which means", interjected Hailey "that if it fails, it will destroy the universe, all of them actually."

"I tell you Major Carter, this is my greatest invention since I created Rommie."

It took a moment for Harper's comment to sink in. Her mind was still reeling from the shock that the device in front of her could possibly destroy the universe.

"What was that last thing you said Harper?" She wanted to make sure she had heard him correctly.

"This is my greatest creation since I made Rommie."

"Who's Rommie?" asked Hailey.

"She's the woman who was with me when you and Harper arrived," answered Carter.

"That's Rommie. The ship made hot." Harper made the classic curvy motion with his hands.

"You made that sex bomb?" queried Hailey incredulously.

"Yeah, you have no idea how hard it was to get all the parts functioning correctly."

"I can imagine" said Carter icily remembering her discussion with Rommie about some of her non standard equipment. Now she understood Rommie's reluctance to talk about organic-avatar relationships. She had originally been designed to be a sex toy for this degenerate.

"The perfect woman, and I'm the one who created her."

Carter started out with, "You sick, depraved, pervert. Why didn't you just make a blow up doll" and went from there. When she ran out of invective Hailey took up the slack. She wasn't sure if she was going to like Rommie when they met, but she knew for certain that she didn't like Harper.

It was at this precise moment that General Hammond and Captain Dylan were preparing to enter the lab to check on the progress of Harper's work. Just as the captain reached for the door, it flew open and Harper ran out of the lab, fleeing in terror.

Upon entering the lab, they encountered a furious Lt Hailey and an equally enraged Major Carter. The major was holding a pair of pliers, which she had just threatened to use to remove a certain sensitive portion of Harper's anatomy.


	5. Boys Night Out

**Boys' Night Out  
**

Teal'c was in the Stargate Command's gymnasium, lying on his back on one of the weight benches doing presses, when he heard approaching footsteps. Turning his head in the direction of the noise, he saw that it was Tyr. He and the Nietzschean had several verbal clashes since the Nietzschean had arrived. Teal'c found the Nietzschean's constant boasting annoying. His mentor Bratac had always taught him that a warrior should be judged by the praise of others, not by praise of self.

Tyr watched Teal'c for a moment, then silently took the bench beside Teal'c. He conspicuously added ten pounds more than Teal'c was benching to the weight bar and began to lift the weights.

Teal'c observed Tyr's actions, then after placing the weights in their rest, added additional weight to his bar. Ten pounds more than Tyr was pressing.

Tyr raised the ante by another ten pounds. By this time a small crowd had started to gather. Teal'c thought he heard bets being made, but said nothing, only meeting Try's weight, and raising him another ten pounds.

The silent contest continued, each man raising the weight by ten pounds each turn. The crowd had gotten larger and was getting excited. Had there been a coach from the U.S. Olympic weight lifting team present he would have been ecstatic; both men had exceeded the Olympic record and were still going.

Eventually the Nietzschean's genetically engineered muscles prevailed; Teal'c was not able to exceed the weight on the Nietzschean's bar. Tyr increased the weight on his bar to the weight Teal'c had been unable to lift.

"You see, I am the superior one," stated Tyr.

"Indeed you are strong," replied Teal'c "but strength alone does not win battles."

"Talk from a weakling who has already been bested. Strength always prevails."

Teal'c walked to one side of the gym where the martial arts equipment was stored. He returned with two quarterstaffs. "Are you familiar with the use of these?" he asked.

"Of course"

The two men squared off in the center of the gym. The crowd was getting bigger, and so were the bets. Out of the corner of his eye, Teal'c noticed that Sgt Harriman had a large handful of money. Apparently he was the one holding the bets. Tyr was strong, but lacked true skill with the staff. His method of combat depended on using his superior strength to overpower his opponents. Teal'c had been trained in the use of the staff since he was a child. His training master had often pitted him against larger and stronger opponents, so he would learn how to handle such situations. In a mater of minutes, Tyr was lying flat on his back, the end of Teal'cs staff at his throat.

"As I said, strength alone does not win battles."

"Shall we try one more match?" suggested Tyr. "This time hand to hand combat."

"Agreed"

By this time, the word had gotten out throughout Stargate Command that Teal'c and Tyr were settling their differences in the base gym. The gym was filled with spectators and the bets were flying fast and furious. Sgt Harriman was still collecting everyone's bets and making book.

There was a flurry of blows, Tyr's strength being met by Teal'cs speed. The match was suddenly interrupted by a shouted "Attention on Deck". General Hammond, accompanied by Colonel O'Neill had entered the gym.

"Colonel, can you explain the meaning of this?" queried General Hammond. "I know the men are not betting on the outcome of a fight between these two men, because gambling is prohibited on the base."

O'Neill proved once again that he could think fast under fire. "It's a charity exhibition for the Airman's Relief Service, Sir. Teal'c and Tyr very generously offered to give a demonstration of the martial arts used by their people to raise money for the annual Airman's Relief drive, which, as I am sure you recall, starts next week."

The generals expression made it clear that he knew when he was being fed a line of bull, but he went along with the charade. "That's very generous of you gentlemen, but I'm afraid that all such promotions have to be cleared by me first, so I'm going to have to cancel this demonstration. However, since you were all so willing to contribute to the drive, I'm sure you won't complain if I take the money now. With enthusiasm like this I'm sure we'll exceed our annual goal by a large margin."

The general took the money that Sgt Harriman had collected and departed, leaving O'Neill to face the music.

"Well, what did you expect me to say?" he asked the very angry looking crowd.

The crowd or airmen dispersed, muttering curses and giving O'Neill dirty looks. Jack decided that he needed to find some way to get Teal'c and the Nietzschean to come to terms before things got totally out of hand. Then he had a brainstorm, a way that might allow Teal'c and Tyr to get better acquainted.

"How would the two of you like to head out into town and meet a namesake of mine?"

A namesake Colonel O'Neill?" queried Teal'c.

"Yes, a friend of mine, also named Jack. Jack Daniels to be exact."

Jack took them to Stargate Command's favorite watering hole. Tyr was wearing his translator, but no one in the bar paid any attention. After having Stargate Command as a neighbor for years, the patrons of the bar took weirdness as the norm. O'Neill suspected that if Dr Jackson took his purple girlfriend here for a nightcap no one would even blink.

The band was attempting to play country and western tunes, and making a poor attempt of it. After enduring a few songs Tyr muttered, "Where are the songs of battle and strife? Don't you weak humans know anything but simpering love songs?"

Jack thought for a moment. There was one he knew, an epic poem actually. He began to recite it to his table mates. When he was finished both Tyr and Teal'c were smiling broadly.

"Truly an epic battle" said Tyr

"A warrior woman of great prowess" added Teal'c "Recite it again, that we might learn it as well."

Jack ordered them all another round, and recited the epic again. Another round and another recital, this time with Teal'c and Tyr going along with him.

About three A.M.. the next morning, the Officer of the Day received a phone call from the gate sentry. An inebriated Teal'c and an equally inebriated Tyr were supporting an even more inebriated O'Neill. The three of them were bellowing at the top of their lungs the story about the epic battle between Eskimo Nell and Deadeye Dick.

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* * *

O'Neill opened his eyes, and then quickly shut them. Someone was shining an arc light in his face, and from the pounding in his head he assumed that somehow he had been infested by one of those Magog larva, and it was busy eating his brain. Not only that, but somehow a camel had gotten into Stargate command, and the beast had defecated in his mouth. He tried once more to open his eyes, this time slowly; there that was better, apparently the arc light was only the overhead florescent. Slowly he forced himself to sit up, his stomach rolled once then was still. He put his feet on the floor and they encountered something wet and sticky. Looking down he saw a puddle of vomit on the floor, odd had someone crept into his quarters and puked on the floor? 

A shower a shave, and a clean uniform later, he was considering the possibility that he might actually survive. He made his way down to the mess hall. It was still open and there was food out for the taking, but the sight of greasy bacon and half done eggs started his stomach rolling again, so he settled for just a cup of coffee.

He really, really, hoped that Teal'c and Tyr had settled their differences, before someone, most likely him, got hurt

He had just started on his coffee, when the alarms indicating unscheduled stargate activation went off. With a muttered expletive he dropped his coffee and headed for the control center. Sgt Harriman was already there when he arrived. Somehow, Harriman always managed to be present during unscheduled activations. O'Neill sometimes wondered if Harriman slept in the control center.

"It's Bratac sir"

"Open the iris, Sergeant," ordered O'Neill as he headed down to the gate room.

The Jaffa ambassador to Earth stepped through the event horizon, and started towards the colonel. "Ah, Colonel O'Neill, it is good to see you. I must speak to Hammond of Texas at once. I have disturbing news about Anubis."

"Any news of Anubis is disturbing, Master Bratac. What do you have?"

"I fear that Anubis is attempting to create an alliance with a new race. One I have never heard of before. They are called the Magog."


	6. War Council

**War Council  
**

The conference room was crowded, in addition to General Hammond, the SG-1 team and the entire senior staff from the Andromeda, there were the team leaders of each of the other Stargate teams, Bratac, Lt Hailey, and a new member of the _Andromeda's_ crew. The crewman had been introduced as Second Signifer Tran, commanding officer of the _Andromeda's_ Lancer unit. The creases in his black uniform were knife-edges, and his boots were shined to perfection. His entire bearing screamed Marine to Colonel O'Neill, and he had to suppress the urge to shout 'U-Rah!'

Bratac was speaking. "Three days ago, one of our spies in Anubis' camp reported that Anubis has been contacted by a previously unknown race, who call themselves the Magog. In exchange for populated planets that they can use for breeding and feeding grounds, they are offering to supply Anubis with additional troops, millions of them. Anubis has agreed to meet with them on the planet your people have designated P-X-666. The meeting is scheduled to take place in two days."

General Hammond had Captain Dylan explain the dietary and reproductive habits of the Magog. By the time he was finished, several members of the audience were looking ill. Discussion on how the Magog arrived in this universe was tabled in order to discus how to remove the ones that were meeting with Anubis. As Dylan explained, the Magog psychology expected treachery as the norm, so if they could somehow eliminate the Magog meeting with Anubis, the Magog leaders back at wherever they came from would believe that Anubis had betrayed them. And, since Anubis apparently had no way of contacting the Magog, he would not be able to explain what really happened.

Discussions were revolving around tactics when Harper interrupted the proceedings. "You know, if I was Anubis, and someone stopped me from acquiring a few million more troops, I'd be pretty pissed."

"He's already pissed at us, Harper," replied O'Neill "What's your point"

"Well, what if it wasn't us, but one of those other system lord guys who spoiled the negotiations?"

It was Carter who first saw where Harper was coming from. "I hate to admit it, Harper, but that's brilliant. We go in disguised as Jaffa troops from another system lord. As long as none of our troops are captured, we ruin the negotiations, and stir up trouble between the system lords." Rommie had explained the situation between her and Harper, so Carter was no longer considering separating him from his privates, but she still didn't approve of him. "Bratac, can you supply us with Jaffa armor and some staff weapons?"

"In limited numbers yes."

Another problem was communications. The Lancers couldn't speak English, nor could the Stargate teams speak Common. While it was a simple task to program translation nanobots to translate English to Common, and vice versa, it took several days for the human body to adjust to the nanobots, days they didn't have. While Harper's translation devices could theoretically be used, they required that the speaker speak clearly, unhurriedly, and in an environment with a minimum of background noise, something that was generally difficult to achieve when the speaker was in the middle of a firefight. Trance had the solution to this problem. During the time she and Dr Jackson had spent aboard the Andromeda, she had injected him with translation nanobots. "The translator kept getting in the way," was her explanation. Dr Jackson could now understand Common and she could understand English. She and Dr Jackson could work together as translators - liaisons , while Rommie, who could both speak and understand English would be another.

"Like Hell you're coming with us," shouted Dr Jackson. "You're going to stay right here."

"I'm not just a translator, Daniel." argued Trance. "I'm a medic. You're going to need my services."

Dr Jackson reluctantly agreed. He and Trance were assigned to Signifer Tran's team, which meant that Rommie would accompany Colonel O'Neill's Stargate teams. O'Neill's protests were as loud as Dr Jackson's had been, even more profane, and ultimately just as futile. Rommie would be his liaison with Andromeda's forces.

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* * *

It was the evening before the strike was to be launched, Dr Jackson and Trance were lying on a blanket spread out on the grass in a meadow near the Command. There were two glasses and a half empty bottle of wine on the grass beside the blanket. They were both lying on their backs gazing up at the stars. Dr Jackson had been pointing out the constellations to Trance, and telling her the stories behind them. She in turn had been amusing him by pointing out individual stars and giving them personal characteristics. The red giant Betelgeuse was a grumpy old man, while the brilliant Vega was a young woman with the philosophy of 'live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse' 

There was a pause in their conversation and Trance turned to Dr Jackson.

"Are you frightened, Daniel; about tomorrow I mean, and what could happen."

He propped his head up on an elbow and gazed into her eyes. Thinking that she might need reassurance about her own fear he replied, "I'm always frightened before a battle."

"You'll never have to be frightened as long as you're with me," she whispered. Then, she pulled his head down towards hers, and Dr Jackson turned his back to the watching stars.


	7. Firefight

**Firefight**

The_Andromeda_ and the _Prometheus_ moved together in hyperspace, bound together by the _Andromeda's_ harpoon cables. Because of the differences in their translight propulsion systems, there was no guarantee that the two ships would be able to synchronize their arrival time at the target planet, and as a result, in order to ensure that both ships arrived simultaneously, one had to take the other in tow.. The _Andromeda's_ slipstream system was faster than the _Prometheus'_ hyperdrive, but had the drawback of announcing to anyone looking. that a ship had emerged from the Slipstream into normal space. The_Prometheus'_system was much less obvious, and since a stealthy arrival was essential for the operation to have any chance of success, the _Andromeda_ was, much to Dylan's chagrin, the one being towed.

The cargo bay of the _Andromeda Ascendant_ was a beehive of activity, full of all manner of spacecraft and personnel. In the farthest reaches near the door sat the _Eureka Maru_, twelve X-302 fighters, and a Tel'Tac cargo shuttle. Technicians from the _Prometheus_and Mariabots controlled by Andromeda swarmed around the fighters, readying them for combat. A similar scene was being enacted on the_Andromeda's_ flight deck as Andromeda's flight deck crews and Mariabots readied her slipfighters for action.

General Hammond stood on a raised platform at the other end of the cargo bay, facing the strike force. Behind him, three computer screens displayed personnel lists in English, Jaffa, and Vedran text as Hammond started the mission briefing. Rommie provided translation for Andromeda's Lancer Team.

"All right, people, listen up." began Hammond. "For this operation we will be divided into four teams. Here are the makeup and membership of each team."

Text flashed across the screens.

Team One - Andromeda Lancer Ground Team  
Second Signifer Tran - commander  
Andromeda Lancers - 4  
Master Bra'tac  
Jaffa warriors - 4  
Daniel Jackson - translator/liaison  
Trance Gemini - combat medic  
Total - 12

"Team One, commanded by Signifer Tran, will begin the attack," continued Hammond. "The combat gear of Andromeda's Lancers looks similar to Jaffa battle dress, so we think it will fool the Magogs into believing they're being attacked by Anubis's Jaffa force. You've all been disguised to resemble actual Jaffa warriors. The force lances, when extended, look similar to Jaffa staff weapons. You are to attack the Magog encampment and kill as many of them as you can. Let a few of them escape to return to their mother ship and tell the story of who attacked them. DO NOT let yourselves be captured. If any one of you falls on the battlefield, your fellow warriors WILL retrieve the body prior to retreating. Now you all know what to do if Anubis's Jaffa actually arrive on the scene."

Master Bra'tac keyed up his radio and said "Tango! Tango! Tango!"

Each Jaffa warrior and Andromeda Lancer turned his back on the one next to him. They all reached up and simultaneously pulled down on two panels on the back of black vests that they wore over their armor. The sound of ripping Velcro filled the hangar deck, and the inside of each panel revealed itself to be a bright orange color. The warriors then faced each other, and in unison each one ripped down two corresponding panels in the front.

"Very good," said Hammond approvingly. "This will ensure that you don't mistake each other for actual Jaffa during battle. Now for Team Two."

The screens cleared and filled with different text.

Team Two - SGC Ground Team  
Colonel Jack O'Neill - commander  
Major Samantha Carter  
SG-3 team - Colonel Reynolds, commanding - 4  
SG-5 team - Major Penhall, commanding - 4  
Rommie - translator/liaison  
Dr. Janet Frasier - combat medic  
Total – 12

Light Mortar team - 12

"Team Two accompanied by a light mortar team will remain in reserve until after the Magog assault," said Hammond, "and will reinforce Team One when the expected Jaffa response force arrives. Team Two is not to attack the Magog camp, since you are not disguised as Jaffa,, and that will compromise the mission. You are to be used as protection for the retreat of Team One."

O'Neill looked down at the ground and shook his head. Looking up at the General, he said "You mean we're not even going to get to shoot even one alien?"

Hammond glared at O'Neill.

"I mean, uh, one alien, Sir?" continued O'Neill.

"No, you may not shoot any aliens, well, at least no Magog," said Hammond. "You may of course defend yourselves against the Jaffa, as usual. Now we come to Team Three."

Once again the screens refreshed. This time they showed not only text, but ship silhouettes.

Team Three - Orbital Support Team  
Captain Dylan Hunt - commander  
Beka Valentine  
Tyr Anasazi  
Seamus Harper  
Teal'c  
Andromeda Ascendant  
Eureka Maru  
Slip fighter force - 12  
Tel'Tac Cargo Shuttle

"Team Three will take up planetary orbit and support the attack on Anubis's mother ship," said Hammond. After the ground attack begins, and when word of the Jaffa attack on the Magog has reached the Magog mother ship, Teal'c will maneuver the cloaked Tel'Tac cargo shuttle into position directly beneath the Magog mother ship and open fire on Anubis's Ha'tak mother ship. Anubis will believe he is being attacked by the Magog and will respond by returning fire. We believe the battle will involve Magog fighters against Goa'uld death gliders, and Captain Hunt and our other guests may not need to participate at that time. We also believe that Anubis will emerge as the winner of the battle, and at that time the Andromeda can attack his mother ship and use slip fighters to dispose of any remaining death gliders. We are the most unsure of what will happen during this engagement, so we leave it in your capable hands, Captain, to act as you see fit to keep the situation under control."

Dylan inclined his head respectfully and smiled confidently.

"Finally," said Hammond, "this is what we call Headquarters Team."

Headquarters Team - Ground Support Team  
General Hammond - supreme commander  
Colonel Ronson  
Major Davis  
X-303 Prometheus - operations flagship  
X-302 ground assault wing - 12

"I will command the overall fighting force, monitor the situation, and decide what if any changes to make in the battle plan," continued General Hammond. "Our analysis shows that most Goa'uld System Lords travel with four or more Al'kesh bombers for each Ha'tak mother ship. If things get dicey on the ground, Anubis may divert some or all of those bombers, and maybe a contingent of death gliders, to assist his Jaffa force. If that takes place, we will stand ready with twelve X-302s carried in the shuttle bay of the Prometheus. And of course, the X-302s and the slip fighters aboard the Andromeda are available to reinforce either ground or space operations, depending on where the more intense fighting is located."

General Hammond stopped speaking and looked around at the assembled strike force. He looked at each one, noting the close fit of the battle gear and the readiness and determination shown in each face.

"I have to say that you people are probably the most fearsome fighting force it has ever been my pleasure to command," he said. "I feel sorry for anyone who crosses your path with the intent to do you harm. We know how serious the situation is. If even one of those Magog escapes and makes it to a populated world, our galaxy will be faced with a danger greater even that what we face from the Goa'uld. We must succeed in this endeavor, and I believe you are the people who can do it. We come out of hyperspace in", he glanced at his wristwatch, "twenty-three minutes. You all know what to do. Dismissed."

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* * *

Fifty-seven minutes later, the _Prometheus_, with General Hammond now aboard, sat on the ground behind a range of low hills concealing her from the Magog and Jaffa camps. Team Two looked over the edge of the hill, watching Team One marching in Jaffa lock-step toward the Magog camp. Instead of approaching directly from the hills, they had taken the long way across, and were approaching from the direction of the Jaffa camp. On the other side of the Magog camp four Magog swarm ships stood on their spiky legs, looking for all the world like gigantic lawn darts. Several Magog stood up and looked at Team One as they approached, but the Jaffa had done them no harm in the past, and they were forbidden to attack, so they merely stared in curiosity. At the edge of the camp, the team came to a halt and spread out into a line facing the Magog, who were beginning to gather in a larger and more curious group. The Jaffa warriors leveled their staff weapons at the Magog as the Lancer team shook their force lances, knocking off the fake staff weapon heads and collapsing them into compact form. As they aimed their force lances at the Magog, O'Neill, from his position on the crest of the hill, could see Daniel Jackson and Trance Gemini standing slightly behind the others at either end of the line, with Zat'ni'katel weapons at the ready. At an unheard signal, Team One began firing. 

The "WHOP" sound of the staff weapon was interspersed with the "BANG" of the force lances and the whining sound of the Zat guns, and Magog after Magog fell to the ground in instant death. As they realized what was happening, the Magogs in the rear began bounding and leaping toward the team, but that only focused the attention of the warriors upon them, and most who leaped high into the air were dead by the time they returned to the ground.

"Whoa!" exclaimed O'Neill, as scores of Magog warriors began boiling out of the tents, attracted by the sounds of battle and the death screams of dying Magog. He turned to look at Carter.

"This is not good, sir. They're in trouble," she said. "We need to do something, fast."

O'Neill keyed the microphone on his radio. "Team Two Leader to Prometheus Command. General, we've got a major Magog counter-attack in progress here. Request permission to join the battle."

"Hammond to O'Neill," came the response. "Have the Magog transport ships lifted off yet?"

"Negative," said O'Neill, "but I don't think we can wait... for... stand by, sir..."

Several Jaffa warriors had emerged from their camp, and had noticed what seemed to be a line of Jaffa being attacked by Magog. Hundreds of Magog against a mere dozen brave Jaffa. They could not stand for long. The shout went up.

"Jaffa! KREE!!!"

Dozens of Jaffa came storming out of their tents to fight at the side of their beleaguered compatriots. It was difficult to keep track through the smoke and dust, but suddenly O'Neill spied the members of Team One, orange panels shining brightly, edging their way back toward the hill. And as the battle widened, it spread out to both sides, so the Magog warriors were coming closer and closer to the undisguised but eager members of Team Two. Suddenly there was an explosion as one of the Magog swarm ships erupted in a ball of fire. Team Two watched in awe as a large swivel-mounted staff weapon took aim on the second ship and let fly with a gigantic plasma burst that enveloped the ship, causing it to explode with a deafening roar and a huge puff of toxic-looking green smoke. As the smoke cleared, the Jaffa warrior fired another plasma charge, but the charge passed harmlessly through the space the third ship had formerly occupied as it blasted off from the desert sand. Before the weapon could be trained on the fourth ship, it too rocketed upward and was lost in the cloudbank.

O'Neill keyed his radio again. "Team Two Leader to Prometheus Command. Two Magog ships destroyed, two escaped. The Jaffa are fighting the Magog and Team One is extracting themselves."

"Understood, Colonel," replied Hammond. "Keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel, and get back here as soon as you can. Hammond out."

"Sir! SIR!" shouted Carter, tugging at O'Neill's sleeve. O'Neill turned, took in the situation, and shook his head. "Oh, no," he said.

All around the camp, Magog fighters lay dead and dying. The dust was settling, and the remaining Jaffa were beginning to stand up straight from their fighting stances. Some of them were tending to their wounded comrades, but a group at one flank of the line had noticed a small group of a dozen Jaffa, running away from the battle zone in a very un-Jaffa-like manner, and sporting some extremely non-regulation colors on their Jaffa battle suits. Shouts were raised and staff weapons were leveled. As the members of Team One scrambled up the hill, the Jaffa of Anubis began laying down a withering fire of plasma bolts. At that range they could only keep firing and hope that one of the imitation Jaffa accidentally ran into one, but keep firing they did.

"FIRE!!!" shouted O'Neill.

Team Two dropped to the ground and began returning fire. At such extreme range they had no more success with their short-barreled weapons than did the Jaffa, but several of the Jaffa dropped prone on the ground in surprise as the bullets began to whine past their heads. At that moment Team One reached the top of the hill.

Because they hadn't been able to keep exact count of the members of Team One, O'Neill was concerned about friendly fire. "Cease fire!" he shouted, as the team members reached the crest of the hill.

Emboldened by the lack of return fire, more than a dozen Jaffa leveled their staff weapons and fired simultaneously at Team One, silhouetted against the sky at the top of the hill.

Daniel Jackson watched in horror as Trance was hit from behind with a staff weapon blast. The plasma enveloped her completely in fire, and then it was gone.

Rommie, seeing her friend struck down began to rise from her prone position to go to her aid. Before O'Neill could shout at her to get down, she too was struck by a Jaffa plasma bolt, and it was O'Neill's turn to watch in horror, as the plasma round blasted its way directly THROUGH Rommie's midsection, leaving a fist-sized hole.

Trance looked at Daniel with surprise. Her eyes rolled upward and she collapsed on the ground like a bag full of jelly.

Rommie looked O'Neill in the eyes, and suddenly her face was full of anguish and pain. She screamed and collapsed to her knees, shaking. He caught her as she fell forward.

Daniel turned Trance over on her back and searched the lifeless body for any sign of breathing or a pulse.

O'Neill turned Rommie over on her back and cradled her head as she went into violent convulsions.

Daniel keyed his radio microphone. "Medic! MEDIC! We've got a serious injury here!" He lifted Trance in a fireman's carry and began to run toward the _Prometheus_.

O'Neill looked down at Rommie, now silent as the grave. "Oh crap," he said. Then, keying his radio, "Make that two injuries!" He picked Rommie up in his arms like a baby and also began to run toward the _Prometheus_.

"Let's lay down some cover fire, people!" shouted Colonel Reynolds. Team Two, along with the mortar team and the remainder of Team One began to take a horrible and deadly revenge on the Jaffa.


	8. Anubis vs the Magog

**Anubis vs the Magog  
**

"Andromeda to Teal'c," said Harper on a low-power communications channel. " Do not reply to this transmission. You have two Magog swarmships headed your way at high speed. Looks like someone lit a fire under them, heh."

The _Andromeda_ bridge crew watched the Magog mother ship through a long-range video scan. Andromeda was concealed behind a large asteroid, ans was using her sensor drones to keep an eye on both Magog and Goa'uld ships. The two swarmships rocketed into the Magog launch bay at frightening speed.

"Hey, even I don't fly like THAT," scoffed Beka, frowning at their inept piloting skills.

"You may not have to, today," responded Dylan. "Maybe we'll just get to sit here and watch the fireworks when they... Uh oh..."

"Andromeda to Prometheus Command," said Dylan over the radio. "You have four Goa'uld bombers headed your way. Will you need assistance?"

"Understood, Captain," came Hammond's response. "I think we can handle ourselves just fine, thanks. Please be careful up there."

"Will do. Andromeda out," said Dylan.

"Hey boss, look at this," said Harper, pointing to the viewscreen. "Looks like we're gonna get our fireworks after all."

The Magog mother ship was turning toward Anubis's ship. Its gun ports were sliding open. Its energy signature indicated that its massive weapons were charging.

"Yippee kie yay," said Dylan softly.

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"Colonel Ronson, scramble eight X-302s," ordered Hammond. "I want two of them on each one of those Goa'uld bombers. Then you and Major Davis coordinate the attack. I don't want a single one of those bombers to get within firing range of the ground." 

"Yes sir!" said Ronson, pressing the alarm stud on the _Prometheus'_ bridge. The SCRAMBLE alarm began blaring in the launch bay and the pilots ran toward their fighters. Major Davis moved to the Situation Room and fired up the tracking monitor. It was mounted in a tabletop in the center of the room and could display three-dimensional holographic projections of friendly and enemy craft positions during combat engagements. It also received information from Andromeda's vast array of sensors and drones, extending its range tremendously. Hammond walked over to study the display. Four red symbols marked "B-1" through "B-4" dropped toward the planet's surface. Suddenly there was a loud roar from somewhere back aft, and eight green symbols, tagged as "X-1" through "X-8" appeared, driving upward through the holographic atmosphere toward the approaching bombers.

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In the _Prometheus'_ sick bay, Daniel Jackson sat at the side of the examination table, holding Trance's hand. Her color was ashen gray and her hand was cold and lifeless. He rubbed it between his hands in a futile gesture of revival, but then he stopped, looking up at the ceiling. When he looked back down at her, his eyes were full of tears. He opened his mouth as if to say something to her, but then closed it again in silence. He softly touched the back of her hand against his cheek, and his tears streamed down her arm. 

O'Neill stood at the adjacent exam table trying not to notice what was going on. Displays of raw emotion made him feel helpless, and he didn't like to feel helpless. He needed to feel as though he were in command in every situation, even those where he didn't fully understand the details. As a purely idle gesture to pass the time, obviously with no emotion involved whatsoever, he picked up Rommie's hand and held it in his. Just to be doing something. But then he looked down in surprise. Her hand was warm, with the blood warmth of a healthy living human being, not the metallic chill of a machine. Surprised, he looked at the hand more closely. It was covered in what looked like human flesh, with pores, and tiny wrinkles where the knuckles bent, and finely formed fingernails. He turned it over and looked at the palm. The fingers bent as a human's would have if the hand were held with the palm up. He manipulated the index finger. It seemed to have the normal range of rotation of a human index finger. He looked at her wrist, and then turned over the hand to look at the back of it. He glanced at her face.

She was watching him.

He dropped her hand as though it had turned into a giant hairy spider. Stepping back from the table, he mumbled "I was...I was just...umm..."

"It's all right, Colonel," she said, her voice echoing with heterodyne tones from internal system damage. "I was designed and built by Seamus Harper. He will be pleased that I was not destroyed, and so will Captain Hunt. Thank you for saving me." She smiled at him, a wide, beaming smile of pure gratitude.

That's all it was. Just gratitude because I saved her. I've seen that smile before on other women, but she didn't mean THAT by it. No, I'm sure she didn't.

He backed farther away from the table. "I have to go, umm, do that...other thing. I might be back later." He turned and took a step to leave, then stopped. Turning back, he gave her a big smile and said "I'm glad you didn't die!" Turning to leave, he bashed his head on a support column and then walked out as though nothing had happened.

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The warriors on the hillside poured death and destruction into the ranks of the Jaffa below. Any Jaffa who dared to try firing the large swivel-mounted staff weapon met a sudden end within a few seconds from the barrel of Major Penhall's sniper rifle. The light mortar team, under the direction of Colonel Reynolds laid down a barrage of mortar rounds that left no safe place on the entire battlefield, even behind massive stone columns. The fighters had flanked out so far to the right and left that there was no way a Jaffa could come around or over the hill to attack them from the rear. All in all, it was ending up to be a very bad day for the Jaffa warriors of the Goa'uld Anubis.

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Anubis himself apparently thought he was about to have a bad day. The shield around his Ha'Tak ship fairly crackled with power. The point singularity projectors inside the Magog ship glowed with barely restrained energy. The two ships remained that way for several minutes, neither making an aggressive move, yet neither backing down. Something had to give.

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O'Neill strolled nonchalantly into the Situation Room, the red bump on his head beginning to swell. He looked at the tactical display. "So, what's up?" he asked. 

"Coming up on Intercept Point in about two minutes," said Colonel Ronson. "We outnumber them two to one, so they don't stand a chance. Besides, there'll be nothing nothing for them to attack since our teams are returning. The Prometheus will be lifting off in a few minutes. Wait, what's happening?"

The red icons representing the bombers were slowing their approach. They came to a complete stop and then reversed course, leaving the atmosphere and heading back into space. The men standing around the tactical display looked at each other in puzzlement. Hammond grabbed a wall-mounted microphone.

"Prometheus Command to X-302 Leader, all ships return to base," he said. "Prometheus Command to Andromeda. Do you have anything going on up there?"

"Andromeda to Prometheus Command," came the voice of Tyr Anasazi. "We have a tactical stalemate here between the two mother ships. I believe you humans call it a "Mexican standoff." Neither side wants to begin hostilities because the other side is equally matched. But both sides believe they are superior beings, so neither side will back down."

"Well those four Goa'uld bombers are headed back your way," said Hammond, "so maybe you'll get to see a fight in a few minutes."

"I do not think so, General Hammond," said the voice of Teal'c on the radio. "I believe the Al'kesh ships will take up defensive positions around Anubis's ship and wait for instructions. I vacated my position beneath the Magog ship because I knew Anubis would be scanning intensely and would detect the Tel'Tac as soon as I uncloaked. There was no chance for success. Teal'c to Andromeda. Request permission to enter your docking bay."

"Docking bay door opening, Teal'c, welcome aboard," said the voice of Tyr.

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The sounds of activity came from the adjacent Control Room. "Helm, commence liftoff," ordered Colonel Ronson. "Once we're clear of the ground, engage shields. Set a course for the Andromeda, but keep us behind the moon, concealed from the Goa'uld and Magog ships." 

Hammond put the microphone back on its wall hook and turned to O'Neill and Davis. "Suggestions?" he asked. There was a long silence.

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Beka watched the view screen. The four bomber ships had returned and were hovering in the area, but nothing else was happening. "So, what do we do now?" she asked. No one on the bridge had any ideas. There was enough firepower out there to destroy the _Andromeda_ several times over, not to mention the thought of Magog larvae beginning to feed on one's tender internal organs.

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O'Neill stood at the tactical display with General Hammond and Major Davis. Major Carter had just come in and learned of the situation, but she had no ideas on how to break the stalemate. O'Neill pulled a pen out of his pocket and waved it back and forth across the holographic emitter, disrupting the display from side to side. Hammond watched with contained exasperation. He knew that the Colonel's mind was working on the problem. Even though O'Neill liked to portray himself as a bumbling fool, he was actually a very intelligent individual with keen insight. The pen moved into the display area and stopped below the icon for Anubis's mother ship. The tip of the pen blocked out one side of the icon, causing the entire icon to flicker and fade. Suddenly O'Neill put the pen back into his pocket and turned to Carter. 

"Carter," he began, "Isn't there a way we can throw a rock at that shield?"

"I don't understand, sir," said Carter, beginning to understand but wanting Jack to work it out in his mind.

"Well can't we shoot something at Anubis's shield and make it look like it came from the Magog ship?" he asked. "I'll bet Anubis is on a hair trigger over there, waiting for the Magog to make the first move. We just need to make it look like the Magog got tired of waiting and opened fire."

"I see what you're saying," said Carter. "We don't need Teal'c to fire an actual plasma charge at the shield. All we need to do is get a solid object up to a high enough speed that it impacts on the shield and imparts enough kinetic energy to get the shield to react with a corresponding..."

"Carter!" interrupted O'Neill.

Carter looked around the room, the plan solidifying in her brain. Then she looked back at Jack. "Yes sir," she said. "We can definitely do it."

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"Ready to go, boss," said Seamus. "programmed just like Major Carter asked. Launching drone... now." 

A _Janus_ light sensor drone launched from Andromeda's underside and streaked away from the two alien ships. Turning, it rocketed upward for several hundred miles. Then it decelerated and stopped, computing its location from the stars around it. Finally it accelerated heavily for several seconds, burning all its fuel, and then shut down, coasting without power, a dead piece of space junk as far as anyone was concerned.

As the _Prometheus_ slowed to a stop beside the _Andromeda_, Harper counted down the seconds to impact.

"Four, three, two, one, let the games commence!" he shouted.

The drone impacted the forward shield of Anubis's Ha'Tak mother ship at a speed of around 37,000 miles per hour. It penetrated approximately one foot into the shield, which was attenuated because of the distance from the ship and the angle of impact. The impact caused a cascading eruption of gamma and beta rays, but more importantly it generated photons in the visible spectrum at an angle that made it appear that the Magog ship had fired upon the Goa'uld ship. The Jaffa in the Control Room, desperate to please their Master and protect him, instantly returned fire on the supposed attacker, the Magog mother ship.

Since no one has ever been inside a Magog mother ship and lived to tell the tale, what happened within is purely speculation. But suffice it to say that the appearance was that the Magog ship exploded, when actually it was only a swarm of fighters that were sent out from all possible directions, converging on the Goa'uld mother ship and the Al'kesh bombers. The big ships fired immediately, but against so many attackers their gigantic weapons could only take out one or two of a hundred. The Magog fighters could not get to the Ha'Tak mother ship through its shields, but they did impact on all four Al'kesh bombers, thrusting through their skin and disgorging their disastrous payload within.

Anubis, with the Goa'uld desire for revenge against impertinence, ordered his ship to open fire against the Magog mother ship. The Magog returned fire, but it's commanding officer had made a tactical mistake. He had gotten too close to the Goa'uld ship. Had he remained at a distance of several light seconds the tactical advantage would have been his but he had closed to within half a light second to allow for ease of communications. At that range the Goa'uld energy weapons were more effective than the Magog point singularity projectors. The mistake turned out to be fatal.

Aboard the Andromeda, the command crew watched as the sensor drones relayed images of the battle. The shields on the Goa'uld ship flared, then went dark. The Magog ship was able to fire one more volley, the black holes fired by the PSP ripping holes in Anubis' ship, passing completely through the huge vessel. but doing relatively little damage except to the machinery and personnel unlucky enough to be in the path of the projectiles as they passed through the ship. The Magog warship was not so lucky. One of the blasts from the Ha'Tak's weapons destroyed the systems that contained the antimatter that powered the engines of the ship. Antimatter met matter, and the entire ship exploded, sending hull plating, internal structures and bodies out into space.

There may have been an evil Anubis laugh or two, but they were short-lived. The Al'kesh bombers were infested and with its shields down the Ha'Tak was vulnerable to the swarm ships. Within minutes the warship was bristling with swarm ships and the Jaffa were repelling boarders. The Al'kesh bombers were tumbling totally out of control. One of them started moving erratically, and finally rocketed out into deep space on an ever-accelerating pace, two others began drifting aimlessly and without power, but the fourth, either through chance or deliberate action smashed into Anubis' flagship. Combined with the damage the Ha'Tak had already taken, it was the death blow. The collection of wreckage that had once been the Goa'uld mothership began to fall uncontrolled towards the planet below. Unnoticed by the observers on both the _Andromeda_ and the _Prometheus,_ a small but powerful escape pod shot away from the final explosion and was lost to the sensors.

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Aboard_Andromeda_, the view screen showed the interior of the _Prometheus_, with happy warriors congratulating each other. Aboard the _Prometheus_, the several video monitors showed a rather subdued but smiling_Andromeda_ crew, and Teal'c who was as unemotional as ever. Jack O'Neill started it off. 

"So, Captain Hunt, what do you say?" he asked. "Is the mission to be declared a success?"

"With the Magog, you never really know," responded Dylan. "You think you've killed them and then they jump right up and stick a bunch of larvae inside you. We lost one of those Goa'uld bombers that may or may not have been going somewhere, and we have a bunch of Magog back on the planet who may or may not be dead. The cleanup in these cases is almost always more important than the actual fighting. But let me ask you this, while we're talking. How's my crew? I haven't heard anything from Rommie or Trance since the beginning of the ground battle. Are they okay?"

O'Neill looked down at the floor. For a long time. Then he took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and looked back into the camera. "Captain Hunt, I regret to inform you that Trance Gemini was killed in the battle. We did everything we could do to save her, but she was very badly injured, so in the end, she died. Rommie was badly injured also but I believe she can be healed. I mean...repaired. Anyway, I'm sorry to be the one to bring you the bad news."

Dylan looked into the camera, smiling. "So Trance got killed again, eh? I don't know why she doesn't stop doing that. But I'm glad to hear Rommie is still around. We almost lost her a couple of times. Let us know when you're headed home and we'll follow you back to Earth. Andromeda out."

The video faded to black on the view screen as O'Neill turned to Carter. "I've seen some weird alien races around, but this one pushes the limits," he said. "I thought that guy Hunt was okay, but now he just seems like an arrogant jerk. He doesn't seem to care when his own people lose their lives. That's not the mark of a good leader."

"Colonel," said General Hammond, "I appreciate your concern for casualties, but we can't pass judgment on alien races. We know the Jaffa kill each other all the time, yet we value Teal'c as a member of our team. Captain Hunt helped to take out Anubis. Shall we condemn him just because he doesn't show the same amount of grief that we would on the death of a crew member? I think not. Now let's put this behind us."

General Hammond turned to Colonel Ronson. "Colonel, take us home."

"Aye aye, sir," responded Ronson. "All hands prepare for hyperspace operations. Helm, compute hyperspace entry coordinates, best course for Earth."

Forty five minutes later the _Prometheus_ entered hyperspace and the _Andromeda,_once more securely attached to the _Prometheus_,entered right behind it. Earth was dead ahead.


	9. Goodbyes

**Goodbyes**

Dr Jackson was in his office, alone. His friends had tried to comfort him, but he had pushed them away before they could even begin to speak. He wanted to be alone, alone with his pain and his anger. The tears had stopped, he knew the sense of loss would come later, but at the moment mostly what he felt was anger. Anger at himself for not preventing Trance from coming with them, anger at the Lancer unit for not protecting her better, and anger, no hatred, of the Goa'uld. He wanted to lash out, strike someone, make them feel the pain that he was feeling now. There was no one to hit, so he hit the wall. The pain felt good, it replaced some of the emotional pain, so he hit the wall again, and again. He felt his knuckles crack and wetness spreading over his hand, so he knew he was bleeding. He didn't really care and continued his assault on the wall.

"You must be very angry at that wall, Daniel. What did it do to offend you?"

He knew who owned that voice, but it was impossible that she be here. He had last seen her in the base hospital, lying on a gurney, just before Dr Fraiser covered her with a sheet. Half afraid of what he might see when he turned, Daniel turned towards the doorway. There she was a sad smile on her face, but otherwise she was looking as fresh as if she had just taken a little nap, instead of a bolt from a Jaffa staff weapon.

Before he could even start to ask questions, she crossed the distance between them and put her index finger over his lips.

"Don't ask, Daniel. Don't ask, and I won't have to lie."

She took his injured hand in both of her hands and gazed down on it. It was swollen and the knuckle bones were visible through tears in the skin. From the pain in his wrist ,Dr. Jackson suspected that it was fractured as well. Trance blew gently on the wound, and the pain stopped. The skin was whole and the swelling gone. Once again he started to question her, and once again she stopped him; this time with a kiss.

"What the…? How the Hell?" The incredulous noises were coming from Colonel O'Neill, who was standing in the doorway to Dr Jackson's office in slack jawed amazement. He had come intending to insure that his friend was not alone during his time of loss, but instead of finding a grief stricken man mourning the death of his lover, he found that same man in a lovers clinch with a women who just hours before had been very dead.

"Oh hello, Colonel O'Neill." Trance flashed him a smile "Being dead is boring. So I come back." She then turned back to Dr Jackson, and using her foot, closed the door in the face of the even more slack jawed Colonel.

Colonel O'Neill stood in front of the closed door spluttering, too dumbfounded to even make a retort. It wasn't until he had caught his breath that the meaning of Trance's words penetrated. 'Being dead is boring. So I come back' This wasn't the first time she had returned from the dead. No wonder Captain Hunt had seemed so unconcerned when he received the report of Trance's death. Apparently. for at least some of his crew members death was simply 'boring'. The Colonel set off in search of Sam hoping she could explain it. If he couldn't find Sam he was going to find a drink, preferably several of them.

The couch in Dr. Jackson's office unfolded into a bed. The mattress was thin and uncomfortable but it was enough. Later that night as she felt him curled around her, Trance changed her mind. She would tell Daniel the truth about herself and the battle the _Andromeda_ was engaged in. Not all of the truth, she didn't know all the answers herself, but enough so that he would understand why she had to leave him and that the parting wouldn't be permanent.

"Daniel, wake up I have to tell you something"

"Hmmph?"

"Daniel, look at me. There's something you need to know, about me"

Dr Jackson looked at her, and when his eyes met hers she showed him what he needed to know. A smile and a look of understanding came over his face, and then he went back to sleep. Sleeping more peacefully than he had in years.

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While Dr Jackson may have been at peace, Dr Fraiser was not. At the moment she was in the infirmary with Major Carter, venting her frustrations. 

"I tell you, Sam, it's impossible. The girl was dead. There was no pulse or brain wave activity, and she had cooled down to room temperature. Then, she just sat up like nothing had happened. But, it's even weirder than that. Harper was in the room with me when it happened, and he didn't even act surprised. When she sat up all he did was say, 'Hi Trance. You'd better check in on Dr Jackson.' I mean one of his shipmates rises from the dead, and he doesn't even blink. What sort of people are we dealing with?"

Sam thought she had an idea of who, or what, they were, but she kept it to herself; she didn't want anyone to think she was crazy. She had never considered herself a religious person, but she had read the Bible, including the Book of Revelations. She suspected that the battle she, and her friends and allies, had just participated in, had been a skirmish in a much larger war, a war that had been raging since the beginning of time. She thought about asking Daniel what it was like to make love to an angel, but then decided it was none of her business.

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The SG-1 team was aboard the _Andromeda_ waiting for news about Rommie. It had been over six hours since she had been wheeled into Harper's workshop but no one said anything about leaving. One of their own had been injured and they were going to stay until they found out if she would recover. The _Andromeda's_ bridge crew was there too. Dylan was pacing like a caged lion and O'Neill made a mental note to himself to ask the ships captain just what his relationship to the avatar really was. Beka had one of her horror novels and was apparently trying to read, but O'Neill had noticed she hadn't turned a page in over 30 minutes. Only Tyr and Trance seemed relaxed. The Nietzschean was leaning against the bulkhead seemingly asleep, but O'Neill had been watching his eyes. Every few minutes they opened and turned to look at the door Rommie had gone through. 

Trance was sitting beside Daniel, her tail wrapped possessively around his waist, her head was lying on his shoulder, she was snoring softly. Apparently when you make a habit of dying and resurrecting yourself major surgical operations were nothing to be concerned about. He still wasn't sure what to make of the purple girl's apparent ability to routinely return from the dead, but the rest of his team seemed to be willing to accept the situation, so he decided to go with the flow. Come to think of it Daniel had returned from the dead once himself. Maybe that was why he and the little alien had hit it off so well. The subject was starting to make his head hurt so he decide to concentrate on the situation at hand, Andromeda.

As Harper had explained it, the plasma bolt from the Jaffa's staff weapon had burned its way through her primary electrical ganglion. In human terms her spine had been severed and she was paralyzed from the waist down.

"Why can't you just use some wire and jump the gap?" asked O'Neill. He had done that sort of thing more than once in the field.

"Well, if she was purely a mechanical construct, I would do something to that effect," replied Harper. O'Neill had never seen Harper this serious before. Most of the time he was either obnoxiously cheerful or an arrogant know it all, but this was a different Harper. It was almost as if it was his child who was injured, which, O'Neill supposed, in a way Rommie was.

"But Rommie is a bio-mechanical construct. Many of her components resemble living tissue more than they resemble mechanical or electrical components. I can't just jump the gap, I'm going to have to graft the gap closed using neurological tissue from other parts of her body and hope the graft takes."

It sounded the same to O'Neill but apparently it wasn't.

It was another hour of so before Rommie was wheeled out of the workshop on a gurney. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be unconscious. Harper emerged from his surgery right behind the gurney. The speed with which Dylan rounded on Harper convinced O'Neill that Dylan's concern for the avatar was more than just that of a commanding officer for an injured crewman. Harper put up his hands to forestall the barrage of questions.

"I grafted the neurological tissue and repaired the other damage. Now all we can do is wait and see if the graft takes. If it does, she'll be up on her feet in two or three days. If it doesn't take..." He left the sentence hanging. Then seeing the look on his captain's face he added. "Relax,. Boss, you're talking to the great Harper here. Rommie will be back standing command deck watches in a week. She's in her quarters. I'll revive her and you can all visit her." Harper was back to his old obnoxious self, the operation must have gone as well as he was bragging about.

O'Neill was the last to visit Rommie. There was something he needed to say and it was going to be awkward. She was propped up in the stateroom's bed, apparently staring at the opposite wall, but by now O'Neill knew enough about her job to know that she was busy running the ship. One of the advantages of being the ships avatar he thought, you can work lying down.

"How you feeling?"

"Much better now. Thank you again for saving me."

"I would have done the same for any of my team." That was the easy part admitting she was part of the team. "Andromeda..."

"Rommie, my friends call me Rommie."

"When I first met you, I know I was a bit of a prick."

"More than a bit"

"OK then, I was a flaming jackass. I mean I just want to say that.." Damn it why was it so hard to say 'I'm sorry'?

"Apology accepted ,Colonel O'Neill. Or can I call you Jack?"

"Jack"

"Thank you. Oh could you do me a favor, and hand me that audio book." She indicated to one of the audiobooks that Major Carter had purchased for Beka. "Beka says they are quite entertaining."

When Jack moved to hand her the book she suddenly reached out and pulled him towards her and kissed him full on the mouth.

When she released him O'Neill flushed scarlet and muttered something about' "Got to check on that last Magog ship", and scrambled out of the room. She even smelled like a woman he thought. He wondered if maybe she and he, no Captain Dylan had his eye on her and O'Neill wasn't going to poach.

Rommie gave a satisfied smile and settled down to enjoy the book. She wondered how long it would take for the Colonel to stop running. She and Jack would probably never be close friends, but he had accepted her as a teammate and a person, and that was enough, more than enough

* * *

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* * *

It was time for Andromeda and her crew to leave. The last Magog ship had had the misfortune to come out of hyperdrive directly over a Tokr'a controlled planet and had been promptly vaporized. Harper had fine-tuned his time space transposition device so that it was no longer a threat to the universe. A shuttle was waiting to take the crew back to the _Andromeda_. Trance was the last one to step into the shuttle. As she was entering the shuttle she turned and said to Dr Jackson, "Remember the doorway Daniel. I'll be there when you step through it." Then the shuttle took off leaving the SG-1 team to watch it until it faded from sight. 

"Doorway Daniel?" asked O'Neill. "Some sort of risen for the dead stuff?"

"Yeah, Jack, something like that." He fell silent reflecting on what Trance had shown him that night when she had revealed her true nature to him. When the time came he would again pass through that doorway that all mortal creatures must pass through, and through which he had passed once before. This time though, when he passed through she would be waiting for him, and together hand and hand they would walk to the Light.

* * *

ABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCDABCD

* * *

The command deck watch was set and ready to enter Slipstream. Once again Trance was at the pilot station. Beka was somewhat nervous about this but Dylan had insisted. 

"Is that device of yours ready, Harper?" he queried?

"Just give me the word boss."

"OK take her in, Trance. Start her up, Harper"

There was a shifting sensation as forward became future and future became forward then they were back in normal space.

"When are we, Boss?" asked Harper.

Before Dylan could reply Andromeda appeared in the viewscreen. "Captain, we appear to have emerged within Drago-Kazov space. I have detected numerous slipfighters on an intercept course."

"Thank you Andromeda. Sound battle stations, Rommie. It's good to be home."


End file.
